


Though Poppies Grow

by Miko



Series: We Shall Keep The Faith [16]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Experimenting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhibitionism, F/F, F/M, Foursome - F/F/M/M, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Open Relationships, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Resolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:52:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4109737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miko/pseuds/Miko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy's clone makes Steve promise not to leave things too late this time, and her death drives home the knowledge that you never know when 'too late' will come. All he wants is to have the three people he loves the most with him.</p><p>He doesn't think she meant him to keep the promise quite this <i>way</i>, though.</p><p>If you're worried the death of even a minor character will be upsetting to you - and I won't lie, I cried while I wrote it - I've structured it so you can skip the first chapter without missing <i>too</i> much.<br/>This fic should be read in sequence with the rest of the series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Steve was trying not to break into a run as he hurried down the hallway, but his pace kept picking up despite his best efforts. He didn’t know how long he had, or if he was already out of time, but the thought of arriving just _moments_ too late haunted him.

‘Too late’ was a theme that had played far too often in his relationship with Peggy. 

“Captain Rogers,” the nurse standing by the front desk said, waving at him to follow her without bothering to sign in first. “You made it. She’s been asking for you, and I think hanging on for you to get here.”

Steve just nodded, his throat too tight to get any words out. When the retirement home had called him just after dinner it had hit him like a bayonet straight through the heart, sharp grief piercing that much further with the extra weight of guilt behind it. 

He hadn’t gone to see Peggy - the other Peggy, the clone - since they’d first found the real one in that HYDRA base. The whole issue had confused him so badly, and he couldn’t help thinking of this one as the ‘fake’ Peggy. He’d been focused on getting the ‘real’ Peggy settled in, and then on helping Bucky to do the same, and then the whole mess with Natasha had hit and really, he’d been having a hard time dealing with anything but his incredibly conflicted personal life lately.

That was no excuse, though. As Natasha had pointed out, as far as _this_ Peggy was concerned she was the real one, and all she would know was that Steve hadn’t come by in months, with no explanation.

Assuming she’d noticed at all, of course. It had been harder and harder to catch her in a lucid moment, even when he had been visiting her regularly. But if she was asking for him now, presumably she at least remembered who he was and that he was still alive.

Unless she thought it was still the forties during the war. That happened sometimes too. Whatever the case, she was dying and he refused to let her go through that alone. Thank God he’d made it.

“There’s nothing we can do for her now except make her as comfortable as possible,” the nurse was saying as she hurried through the halls. “We’ve turned off the sound on the machines, so you won’t be disturbed.”

“Thank you,” Steve managed to say, his voice husky. “For everything you’ve done, everybody here. And for calling me.”

“Of course.” She paused outside Peggy’s door, and gave him a sympathetic smile. “I just wish there was more we could do. I’m glad you got here in time.”

“You and me both,” Steve said fervently. He took a deep breath, settled his shoulders, and pushed the door open.

His head knew the hospital bed was the same size as every other one he’d ever seen, but Peggy looked so tiny and frail within its confines that it seemed to his heart it must be oversized. Her eyes were closed, her breathing ragged, and it seemed like she would fade away into nothing at any moment. 

Seeing her like this had been painful enough the first time after he woke in the future, but with the memory of the other Peggy fresh in his mind from just a few hours ago, the contrast was devastating. 

“Peggy?” he said as he moved forward to sit beside the bed, taking her fragile hand gently in his. The skin was papery, so thin it was translucent, and the bones felt so light he thought they must surely be hollow like a bird’s. 

She opened her eyes, the brown filmed over with age and illness, and for a moment she stared at him blankly. Fear squeezed his heart - she wasn’t lucid after all. Steve wasn’t sure which would be worse; having her not remember him at all, or having to go through the whole ‘you’re alive’ drama one last agonizing time.

But then she smiled, and it was an expression of relief and welcome, not shock or confusion. “Steve,” she whispered, unable to raise her voice any further. “You came.”

“Yeah,” he replied, his voice not much louder than hers. He had to fight to get the words past the tightness in his throat and the pain in his chest that seemed to want to block all his air. “I’m sorry I’ve been away so long, Peg.”

“It’s all right,” she assured him, reaching over with her other hand to cover his. He could see the effort the movement took in the way her whole arm shook, and the strain in her eyes, but she made it. “You’ve got a whole world to worry about, not just one old woman. I’m only glad you’re here now.”

Not for the first time Steve wished he had Natasha’s remarkable ability to block out all her emotions, so he could pretend nothing was wrong and not drag Peggy down further with the weight of his grief. “I keep telling you, I’m not gonna leave my best girl behind.”

“I saw, on the news, they said you had found me?” she murmured, her brow creasing in confusion. “There was a woman, she looked just like me…”

Damn, Steve had never even considered the fact that this Peggy would also potentially see the press conference they’d done. Now he felt doubly guilty. Should he tell her? No, it would only confuse and maybe upset her. She didn’t need to find out on her death bed that she was a clone who’d been created to ensure he wouldn’t rescue her real self from HYDRA.

“We set that up to try to draw Bucky out,” he explained, giving her the safe part of the truth. He had told her about discovering that Bucky was still alive shortly after he’d found out himself, at least. He refused to lie outright to her.

“Did it work?” she asked, brightening.

“Yeah. I’d’ve brought him with me to see you, but he ain’t that good at handling crowds just yet.” That was the truth, as well. Steve knew Bucky would have wanted to be there if he could, but if the crowds in the city didn’t upset him, the antiseptic scent of the care home might well have triggered a flashback about HYDRA’s labs. “He’s doing a lot better, though. Wanda’s been working miracles with him. He’ll never be the man he was back then, but he’s definitely someone I’m proud to call my best friend.”

“I’m so glad,” she said, her smile warm and genuine. “I’ve been worried about you both. Give him my love for me, please.”

“I will. And I’m sorry I didn’t bring you flowers this time, but I was afraid to stop even for a minute,” he confessed. “They had some nice poppies at the front.”

“Poppies?” Peggy laughed, and the sound led directly into a coughing fit. Steve tightened his hand on hers, but he didn’t dare leave her line of sight even long enough to get her some water, for fear she’d forget him in the space between. It wouldn’t have been the first time. “That’s a bit morbid, isn’t it? Considering the meaning they’ve taken on for the World Wars.”

Flushing, Steve rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah, I guess it kinda would be. It’s just, they always remind me of one of my best memories from back then.”

“What, the realization that HYDRA had spies lying in wait to make certain they would attack at the most frustrating moment possible?” she teased, and all the air left him in a rush.

She remembered. That had always been an inside joke between the two of them. He’d told Bucky about it, but nobody else, and as far as he knew she hadn’t either. Bucky wouldn’t have remembered the story after the brainwashing, so there was no way HYDRA could have coached her or created that memory somehow.

It really was her. Peggy. _His Peggy_. He hadn’t been certain until that moment. He’d claimed the day they found the real Peggy that this one had memories of things no one else could know, but then he’d doubted himself, unable to remember a specific example.

Now he had one. It was _her_.

“Steve?” she said, patting at him weakly. “Are you all right? You’ve gone white as a ghost.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he said gruffly, and covered his pain and confusion by leaning in to kiss her. Her lips were as dry as her hand and he could taste the sickness on her breath, but Steve didn’t care. Nothing would ever stop him from wanting to kiss his best girl.

“Tease,” she accused him when he drew back. “Now I’m going to be waiting for HYDRA to crash through the door to interrupt us again.”

It wasn’t HYDRA that would stop him from doing more than kissing her, not this time. She was fading before his eyes, her breathing growing harsher with each rise and fall of her chest, and over her shoulder he could see the jagged, irregular lines on the screen of the silenced heart monitor.

“What I meant about the memory is that poppies remind me of what you said that day, about being a light to balance the darkness,” he told her, fighting to keep his voice steady. He focused on her eyes so he wouldn’t have to watch the monitor as her heart continued to falter. 

“And the broken promise that we would have time together, later?” Peggy asked sadly.

“It’s not broken,” Steve insisted. “You’ve been here for me, Peg, when it mattered the most. I don’t know what I’d have done without you back then, and I don’t know what I’d have done without you now.” It was her wise counsel that had carried him through the discovery of HYDRA and the fall of SHIELD, and that was far from the only time she’d helped him sort through the mess of his own mind and heart in the modern day.

And that didn’t even account for her other self, waiting for him back at the Avengers base. No, she had never let him down, not once.

“Something’s changed,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I know that look in your eyes. And you weren’t focused on me just now, you were thinking. Have you finally found someone? Is it Natasha, or someone new?”

“It’s complicated,” Steve told her, which had to be the understatement of the century. “But yeah, I’ve got someone.”

“Then you promise me something, Steven Rogers,” she said, suddenly fierce. “You promise me you will go back to her, and tell her that you love her. You kiss her, and you follow through, and you don’t let go. You and I know better than anyone that there may never be a ‘later’, and ‘too late’ comes far sooner than you expect. Don’t you dare wait too long with this one. Promise me.”

Tears choked him, and Steve couldn’t get the words out. He nodded, lifting her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. He had to close his eyes to keep the tears from spilling over, and allow him to find his voice. “I promise,” he whispered. It didn’t matter that he already _had_ , because the weight of her words hit home regardless. It wasn’t like he could say it too often, or love them too much. “I promise, Peggy, I won’t make the same mistake again.”

She didn’t answer, and he realized her hand had gone limp in his. His breath caught, and Steve opened his eyes to see that hers were closed, eyelashes lying against the translucent skin like dark feathers. The heart monitor showed a single, flat line, and he couldn’t hear the rough sound of her breathing anymore.

Bowing his head, Steve let the tears fall at last. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there, holding tight to her slowly cooling hand. The room was too quiet with only his own harsh breathing to keep him company, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. If he hadn’t had the knowledge that the other Peggy still waited for him, that she would welcome him home with open arms and willing comfort, Steve didn’t know if he’d ever have been able to. 

Finally he stood, and laid her hand gently on her breast. Leaning over, he kissed her one last time, soft and gentle. “I promise, and I love you,” he said hoarsely. “Thank you, for everything.”

Then he turned without looking back, and went to go keep the most important promise he’d ever made.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the middle of the evening when Steve got back to the base, still a little too early for anyone to have gone to bed, and he was afraid he was going to have to hunt down his lovers individually. He wasn’t sure he could stand the idea of walking through all those people, trying to keep it together and not give anything away, acting like nothing had happened. The last thing he wanted was for someone to stop him and ask what was wrong.

All he wanted was to be able to hold Peggy, hold all three of them, and convince himself the impossible dream was still real.

Reluctantly he decided his best bet was to head to his quarters and call them to him, but when he reached the upper floor he was relieved to see a green light on Peggy’s door panel. Bucky’s and Natasha’s were grey, but she was the one he needed to see the most right now, anyway.

They’d long since exchanged door codes, so he didn’t bother to knock. When he stepped inside Steve was even happier to discover that all three of them were there, clustered around Peggy’s computer console. 

“...wouldn’t have left without a damned good reason,” Peggy was saying. “The only question is whether he’s in some sort of trouble, but I can’t imagine...”

“He’s here,” Bucky interrupted her, the only one who’d caught the soft sound of the door and turned to look. Peggy and Natasha turned as well, wide-eyed and worried in their own ways, and Steve felt guilty as he realized they’d been fretting over his disappearance.

“Where the Hell have you been?” Natasha demanded, scowling at him. “You vanished and didn’t file a flight plan or leave a message, that’s not like you at all. Especially since you didn’t take your shield, or your phone.”

“Sorry,” he apologized gruffly. “Sorry, I just...” He crossed the distance between them as he spoke, and the moment he reached Peggy’s side he gathered her up into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair and inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of her. It was a balm to the pain inside of him, and already he could feel the knot of agony beginning to unravel. She was here. She was still here, and she was still his.

The woman who had helped him adjust to the modern world and all the changes in his life since he’d woken from the ice was gone, and he would mourn her and miss her. But _Peggy_ was still here, and it helped more than he could say.

At first she was stiff against him, startled by the unexpected contact, but she softened quickly and wrapped her arms around him. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“Sorry,” he said again, not looking up. “The retirement home in D.C. called. Peggy, I mean the other Peggy, she was dying. If I’d waited even long enough to grab my phone I’d have been too late.”

“Oh, Steve,” Peggy whispered, and clung to him as tightly as he was to her. “As disturbing as that is to me, I’m glad you were there for her.”

“Me, too.” Steve was finally able to let go enough to look down at her, his eyes seeking and finding all the similarities between this version of her and the other. Her skin might have changed, wrinkled and sagging, but the bone structure beneath was still the same. They were both equally beautiful to him, just in different ways. “She remembered, about the HYDRA spies. Our old joke. She really was _you_.”

“What, that they would lie in wait to determine the most frustrating possible moment to attack?” Peggy asked dryly, and her words were such a close echo to the other her that it hurt. It was the final, absolute confirmation. They were both real.

From the corner of his eye Steve saw Natasha nudge Bucky, and jerk her head at the door. Before she could take the first step he reached out and caught her arm, hanging on tight. “Don’t go,” he pleaded. “I want all three of you with me, right now. Please?”

“We’re right here, buddy,” Bucky said, stepping in and slinging his arm over Steve’s shoulders to lean against his side, pulling Natasha in with him as well. Steve sighed and let go of Natasha so he could wrap his arm around Bucky’s waist instead, letting his hand come to rest on Natasha’s hip on the other side and completing the circle of the four of them.

This was the first time he’d been able to hold all three at once. Either he got to have Natasha _or_ Peggy and Bucky, and it had been a tough balancing act to keep things steady and level between them all. He didn’t mind putting in the effort, it was more than worth the struggle, but this... this felt like...

Coming home. It felt like coming home at last. 

It felt like where he _belonged_.

He was crying, but he couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed, and none of them were judging him. Natasha covered his hand with hers and also slipped her arm around Peggy to touch his hip in return, and Peggy did the same to reach Bucky on Steve’s other side. 

“She made me promise to come back, kiss you, and tell you that I love you,” he explained when he was certain he could keep his voice at least somewhat steady. “She didn’t know there were three of you, but I don’t think it really matters.” He chuckled, the sound watery. “She also made me promise to follow through on the kiss this time, and not wait.”

He’d expected that part would have to be a little more staggered, but Peggy raised an eyebrow at Natasha, who tilted her head and let a sinful smirk spread over her lips that he knew all too well. That was the look she always got when she was going to suggest something that would make him blush himself half to death - and usually made him come harder than he’d thought was possible before he met her.

“Well. We all know how you feel about breaking promises,” Natasha purred, and the sound was as familiar as the smirk. They both had pretty much the same effect on him, making his groin tighten and his breath come short.

“Bucky?” Peggy asked softly.

Bucky was looking back and forth between the three of them, frowning in thoughtful confusion. “All four of us at once?” He blinked at the girls, then turned to Steve. “Would that make you feel better?”

“I...” Words failed him. Steve had always had an overactive imagination, and this was a picture he’d painted himself many times before. Sometimes with Natasha’s help; she did seem to take great delight in working him into a frenzy by whispering naughty things in his ear about Peggy and Bucky.

That probably should have been his first warning she was up to something. Then again, it seemed like she was always up to something where Steve’s love life was concerned.

“Huh.” There was an edge of wickedness to the amusement in Bucky’s eyes. It was the way he used to look when prodding Steve to go on a double date with him, or when he would tease Steve during the war about finding some time alone with Peggy ‘to take care of her properly, punk’. He was having one of his _really_ good days, the ones when it was very nearly like talking to the man he'd been in the forties again. Steve was incredibly grateful today had happened to be one of them, because he wasn't sure he'd ever needed his friend more.

“I guess it’s about time one of our double dates ended well. Even if this ain’t quite what I’d had in mind at the time.” Bucky paused, and looked at the girls. “Only if I get to see you two kiss, though.”

Steve’s mind was completely blown by the mental image. He’d seen Natasha make out with women before and it had definitely been erotic to watch, but the idea of her doing it with _Peggy_ was… God.

“Sure thing,” Natasha agreed easily. “So long as we get the same in return, of course.”

Yeah, that wasn’t an unattractive thought, either. They hadn’t, so far; Bucky didn’t seem to mind touching Steve when they were with Peggy, and didn’t object to being touched in return, but he hadn’t initiated anything as intimate as a kiss. Steve had been afraid to be the first one to try, still leery of finding a line Bucky wouldn’t want to cross.

“Hell, if that’s all it’d take,” Bucky scoffed, and he turned right then and there to pull Steve into a kiss.

Stunned by the onslaught of unexpected sensation, Steve groaned. Bucky held nothing back, and Steve quickly discovered that Peggy was right – their lover had a truly incredible talent with his tongue. 

Apparently Steve really needed to stop being shy about asking for things he wanted. So far none of it had been refused, and they could have been doing this all along. 

Once he’d recovered from the surprise of it, Steve gave back every bit as good as he got. It quickly turned into something not unlike the playful shoving matches they sometimes found themselves in on Bucky’s good days, a tug of war for dominance that was unintentional but not insincere. 

They’d done it all the time as kids, too; two strong personalities who butted heads on a regular basis and loved each other all the more for it. Being best friends didn’t mean they weren’t competitive, quite the opposite.

And Steve had always deeply appreciated it that Bucky _didn’t_ ever go easy on him, or at least no more than he absolutely had to. He’d accommodated Steve’s physical challenges when necessary, but never pitied him for them.

Steve didn’t even realize he’d let go of the girls in the struggle until his back hit the wall and they finally broke apart for air. He’d definitely lost this match, pinned against the wall with his right wrist caught in Bucky’s literally iron grip, but he wasn’t complaining. 

Glancing over his friend’s shoulder as he panted, Steve blinked at the sight of their partners. Natasha was watching the whole show with a blatantly appreciative expression that skirted dangerously close to a leer. And Peggy…

Oh, wow, okay. He was definitely going to be insisting Bucky do that with him again. Never mind how much Steve enjoyed it; if it was going to put _that_ look on Peggy’s face… damn. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted slightly, and the dazed heat in her eyes was almost palpable. He nudged Bucky with an elbow and tilted his head marginally. Bucky read the gesture correctly and turned to look behind him, and his resulting smile was both amused and decidedly smug. 

“Good enough?” Bucky asked, releasing Steve and taking a step back. 

“Oh, I think you can do better,” Natasha said. Peggy turned an incredulous stare on the other woman, and Natasha chuckled. “For example, with fewer clothes on. Though the rumpled look is good on both of you.”

Steve cleared his throat and straightened his shirt, which had indeed gotten badly mussed at some point. He could feel heat on his cheeks, but there might have been something approaching a smirk on his lips as well.

“You first, Natashulya,” Bucky retorted. “You’ll keep claiming we can do better forever.”

Steve saw the brief flash of pain that flared in Natasha’s eyes at the nickname before she swallowed it, but he didn’t think Bucky had. He made a mental note to talk to his friend about it at some point in the future, but bringing it up now would only make the issue worse and potentially put Natasha off the whole idea. She wouldn’t like it that anyone else had noticed she was hurting.

“Drat. Foiled again,” Natasha said with an exaggerated sigh. She turned to Peggy and cocked her head, one hand on her hip. “So? We do owe it to them.”

Steve held his breath. If Peggy seemed in the least uncomfortable with the idea he’d step in; he knew all too well how Natasha could railroad someone without remembering to stop and check if they were even heading in a direction the other person wanted to go. Especially with Bucky pushing for it too, Steve didn’t want Peggy to think she _had_ to.

He really should have known better. Nobody forced Peggy to do a damned thing she didn’t want to, which was something he _also_ had experience with. She only smiled and quipped back, “Are we playing tit for tat, or raising the ante?”

“Oh, raising the ante, definitely,” Natasha agreed, and reached for the hem of her shirt. She paused, glanced at Steve and Bucky with a sly grin, and went for the first button on Peggy’s blouse instead. Peggy was the one who initiated the kiss, with not a hint of hesitation.

Somewhere around the third button slipping free Steve realized that the sharp feeling in his chest was actually a need for air – he’d forgotten to _stop_ holding his breath. He tried to keep his gasp quiet, but he knew Bucky at least had heard him when his friend elbowed him in turn. 

Oddly enough it had never occurred to Steve to wonder before at the fact that Natasha appeared to have no real preference between male and female partners, and yet it surprised him now that Peggy would be willing to consider the same. Maybe it was just that Natasha was so incredibly casual in her approach to anything that had to do with sex. 

Again, _not_ that Steve was complaining. Neither was Bucky, if his rapt expression was anything to judge by. 

This probably was not exactly what the older Peggy had been envisioning when she’d demanded he make that promise. Then again, younger Peggy seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea, so he had to assume her older self would have approved as well. 

By the time the girls broke apart Peggy was down to just her bra and panties, and the moment she pulled back Natasha yanked her shirt over her head as well. Peggy wore demure white with just a hint of lace along the top edges, while Natasha’s bra was entirely see-through dark green lace. Steve quickly took a mental snapshot, because damn, the contrast was amazing.

“Well.” Peggy seemed flustered, her cheeks pink and some of that dazed heat back in her eyes. “That was certainly not unpleasant. You do know a few tricks, don’t you?”

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” Natasha assured her with a wink. “First time with a woman?”

“First time with four people as well, but I suppose I’m willing to try just about anything once,” Peggy replied with a laugh. “I may have spent too much time around Howard after all.”

“I wish I could thank him,” Steve said, and grinned at Peggy. “I guess all that fondue-ing paid off.” She rolled her eyes at him, but her smile widened in return. “God knows Natasha has certainly been a bad influence on me.”

“A corrupting influence, not a bad one,” Natasha corrected him. “Whatever the case, you’re both wearing too much. Ante up or get out of the game, boys.”

“We’re not actually doing it like this the whole way through, are we?” Steve asked, but he reached obediently for the buttons on his shirt. 

“You’re objecting?” Bucky retorted, voice muffled as he pulled his sweater off. He went immediately for his pants afterwards, as usual appearing to have no real grasp on the concept of modesty. He hadn’t exactly been body-shy back in the day, but not like this.

Steve felt like he should be guiltier for appreciating any result of the horrible things that had been done to his friend, even something so small. He tried to think of it more as seeing the silver lining. Still, he had to wonder if Bucky would have been willing to do any of this, especially the parts with Steve, if he hadn't lost so many socially ingrained concepts along the way.

“Don’t worry,” Natasha assured them with that soft, sexy purr she did so well. “You’ll get a chance to touch.” She’d lost her pants as well while Steve had been distracted by watching Bucky strip, and her panties were a perfect match to her bra. Steve could see hints of red beneath the lace and it made him feel distinctly hot under the collar. Which shouldn’t have been possible, since he’d already gotten his shirt off.

Like Bucky he stripped down to nothing, but he didn’t mind that the girls still had their lingerie. They were standing together now, arms around each other’s waists as they watched Steve and Bucky with nearly identical anticipatory smiles. 

His distraction allowed Bucky to catch him by surprise, and Steve found himself pinned against the wall once more. This time he reacted before his friend could get a good grip, though, and it turned into another rough-and-tumble shoving match that just involved a lot more kissing and nudity than their usual wrestling did.

It was a minor miracle they didn’t break any furniture in the process, but eventually Steve managed to trip Bucky and they both hit the ground hard, with Steve on top. The fall drove their hips together and Bucky groaned and arched up beneath him, pushing his dick against Steve’s. His mouth fell open as he panted, his lips swollen from the rough kissing. 

Speaking of things Steve had wanted to do but hadn’t dared to ask for… he glanced up at the girls, who were still watching avidly. Natasha gave him a knowing smile; she knew what he was thinking about, she’d coaxed the fantasy from him in the past and probably recognized the particular look in his eyes. Peggy appeared to be overheated again, clinging to Natasha like the other woman was the only thing holding her up, her eyes locked on the two men with an expression of stunned arousal. 

Licking his lips, Steve transferred his gaze to Bucky. “So,” he started. His voice was so hoarse he had to pause to clear his throat before he could continue. “In the interests of what we get to see them do, how about you show me why Peggy always ends up screaming when you get your mouth on her?”

Heart pounding, he waited while Bucky considered that. His friend tilted his head back to let him see their partners. “You’re still gonna match us, right? ‘Cause I already know he doesn’t taste nearly as good as you do.”

Steve’s dick jumped at the memory of the way Bucky had licked Steve’s spunk off his hand, that first night. He tried not to look too desperately hopeful as he stared at the girls as well, but he had a feeling he was probably failing miserably. 

“I’ll do it to her,” Natasha promptly volunteered. She smirked at Peggy. “If you don’t mind. A mouth is a mouth, pretty much, so you’ll enjoy it.”

“Well, yes, I suppose so.” Peggy’s voice was just the slightest bit unsteady, but Steve was pretty sure it wasn’t from any kind of negative emotion. “I might be willing to give it a try the other way at some point, but that sounds like a good start.”

“Get up here then, punk,” Bucky invited Steve with a jerk of his head and a sly grin. “The fuck are you waiting for? I wanna see that.”

“Hell yeah,” Steve agreed, both to the idea of watching and to the invitation, and pushed up on all fours. It took some manoeuvring to find a position that would work, but he finally ended up with his knees on either side of Bucky’s ribs as he leaned over so Bucky could reach him. 

And oh, God, he was going straight to Hell because the feel of Bucky’s mouth closing around the head of his dick was the most sinfully amazing thing Steve had ever experienced. And considering some of what Natasha had coaxed him into trying, that was saying something. Natasha and Peggy were both damned good at this, too, but the forbidden fruit aspect of it being Bucky just pushed everything to the next level. 

“Jesus, Buck,” Steve groaned, fisting a hand in the other man’s hair and bracing himself against the floor with the other. Bucky didn’t seem to mind the tight hold, bringing his own hand up to play with Steve’s balls, tugging and teasing and generally driving him out of his mind. 

The way Steve could feel Bucky’s body rocking beneath him told him where his friend’s other hand probably was. He wished he could help, which led straight to thoughts of what he’d discovered was called ’69-ing’, and tucked _that_ idea away to suggest another night only because he didn’t think he had the spare brain power to ask for it at the moment.

Bucky set a fast pace and he seemed to know exactly where to use lips and tongue to greatest effect. Shit, his _tongue_. Swirling around the head, dipping beneath the foreskin to tease at Steve’s slit and the more sensitive flesh there… Peggy was more enthusiastic and Natasha knew more provocative tricks, but what Bucky could do with his tongue should have been illegal.

In minutes Steve was fighting himself not to thrust into his friend’s mouth, not wanting to choke him. Then Bucky used the hand on him to pull Steve’s foreskin down, letting him feel the full impact of his friend’s hot mouth and agile tongue, and that was it for Steve. He gave a strangled shout as he came, shuddering and collapsing sideways as his supporting arm gave out. 

He ended up sprawled beside the other man, easing over onto his back when he had the strength to move again, panting for air that just didn’t seem to be available. Bucky didn’t look any more pleased with the taste the second time around, but the dislike was combined with a distinct smugness as he grinned at Steve. “Not too bad for a first try, I guess.”

“Nngh,” was the best Steve could manage in reply. 

Bucky chuckled and rolled over – and then yelped in dismay. “Hey! You weren’t supposed to start without us, that’s cheating!”

Pushing himself up to sit, Steve turned as well and found Natasha and Peggy plastered together as they kissed again, Peggy’s back against the wall and hand on Natasha’s breast, and… Christ, Natasha’s hand was down the front of Peggy’s panties. Steve could see movement beneath the fabric, presumably as Natasha stroked her, and Peggy was trembling and gasping already. 

She cried out and her hips arched up as Natasha broke the kiss and pulled away. “Sorry, boys,” Natasha answered Bucky’s protest, but she didn’t sound sorry in the least. “What can I say? Watching you was hot.”

If watching them had made the girls feel half as aroused as Steve felt watching what Natasha had been doing to Peggy, he couldn’t really blame them for the head start. He didn’t think he’d have been able to stand there and watch that for long without craving _some_ kind of relief. 

“Bed, now,” Peggy declared, her voice ragged. “Or we’re all going to end up on the floor, and some of us do not have enhanced healing to cope with the resulting bruises.”

Still smirking, Natasha reached out and hooked her index finger in the top of Peggy’s panties at the hip, using the hold to tug the other woman after her as she vanished into the nearby bedroom.

Bucky was on his feet first, but Steve was right on his heels. They both came to a halt in the doorway, staring breathlessly at the view inside the room. Natasha and Peggy had stripped off the last of their clothing and Peggy reclined on the bed with Natasha leaning over her as they kissed, their hands on each other’s breasts. 

As Steve watched, Natasha disengaged and slid down, so her lips were fastened around Peggy’s nipple and her hand was buried in the other woman’s curls again. Peggy cried out and arched into the touch, one hand coming up to tangle in Natasha’s hair, head tipped back and a beautiful flush across her cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment.

“Fuck, that’s hot.” Steve wasn’t honestly sure who had said the words, him or Bucky, but it didn’t really matter because the sentiment was one hundred percent shared. He braced his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, pressing close against his friend from behind so he could get a better look - and not incidentally enjoying the increased contact as well.

“Now would be... an excellent time to... initiate that touching, I think,” Peggy said between gasps as she shivered beneath Natasha’s expert attention. “Boys?”

“I still wanna see her mouth on you,” Bucky said, but he moved forward willingly enough. He exchanged a quick glance with Steve, and they split up to slide onto the bed on either side of Peggy. 

It was no secret that her favourite place to be was sandwiched between the two of them, and Steve certainly never minded indulging her. Bucky got to her mouth first, kissing her hotly, so Steve ran his fingers over the soft skin of the breast Natasha was neglecting and toyed with her nipple.

Glancing up to make sure they were watching, Natasha winked when she caught Steve’s eye. Then she slid down farther yet, shifting her hands to brace Peggy’s thighs as she lowered her mouth to the other woman’s most intimate place.

She didn’t just dive right in, though. Natasha got close enough to be able to lick delicately at the wet folds with her tongue, but kept just enough distance between them for Steve and Bucky to be able to see her do it. She was watching them, too, her eyes rolled up to peer at them from beneath her lashes as she proceeded to reduce Peggy to a quivering mess of lust and need.

Steve groaned, and Bucky broke the kiss so he could watch as well, his hand coming up to join Steve’s on Peggy’s breasts. As for Peggy, she had both hands fisted tightly in Natasha’s hair, trying futilely to force Natasha closer so she could get more pressure. Steve sympathized, but he was glad she was unsuccessful because he didn’t want to lose that view one second sooner than he had to.

Even with the light, teasing touches Peggy finally reached the peak, her whole body going tense in Steve and Bucky’s embrace before she cried out, shuddering. Natasha continued for a moment longer, drawing her through the aftershocks, before she sat up and licked her lips with a cat-in-the-cream smirk.

Reaching out, Steve caught her and pulled her in close for a heated kiss. She tasted of Peggy, which made him moan helplessly. The playing hadn’t left her unaffected, because she kissed him back just as fiercely and grabbed his hand to drag it from her shoulder to her breast. Steve was hardly going to refuse, thumbing the stiff peak of her nipple as he duelled with her tongue for dominance.

Then she jerked abruptly against him, hands coming up to clutch at his shoulders even as she pulled away with a strangled gasp. “Nnng...aahh! _Yasha_!” She sounded shaken and desperate, and she was shivering as she swayed against Steve.

It took Steve a moment to sort out whose limbs were where, but he finally realized Bucky had his fingers buried inside Natasha, hidden at first because he’d reached between her legs from behind instead of forcing his way between her and Steve. The fingers of his _left_ hand. Steve had felt the chilled touch of that hand on his chest and back, and he’d even seen Bucky tease Peggy’s nipples by brushing his fingers over them, but nothing like this. The sight of it made Steve shiver as well, wondering how that cool metal would feel against heated intimate flesh.

Pretty fucking amazing, if Natasha’s reaction was any indication. Steve had never seen her so completely lost to pleasure. He might have felt a little inadequate if he couldn’t also see the tears that were trembling on her lashes, even as she squeezed her eyes closed to hide them.

“You’ve never done that for me,” Peggy complained breathlessly, watching the movement of Bucky’s arm with a hungry expression. “I thought you said you didn’t have enough sensation in that hand to risk touching anything delicate.”

“I didn’t, back then,” Bucky replied, his voice a low rumble. “And it didn’t occur to me after until I just now remembered doing this with Natashulya.”

“You’ve definitely... got to try...” Natasha managed to gasp out, before she apparently forgot English and broke down into Russian swearing. It only took a few moments after that before she was shuddering in their arms and screaming as she came. 

She buried her face in Steve’s shoulder, panting into his throat, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the feel of two hot splashes against his skin as the tears escaped her. He also knew nothing would shut her down faster than admitting he’d noticed, so he just stroked his hand over her back soothingly and cradled her close while she recovered from the orgasm and the emotional blow it had clearly struck.

Peggy had drawn Bucky in for a kiss, and he was obligingly giving her a sample of the same thing he’d just done for Natasha, hand between her thighs. The thought of her fluids mingling with Natasha’s on Bucky’s hand... it probably wasn’t very sanitary but God, Steve _really_ wanted to lick his friend’s fingers again when he was done.

Natasha had recovered enough to move back, and if Steve hadn’t felt those tears he’d be doubting now that he’d seen them in the first place. There was no indication of pain or sorrow in her expression, nothing but the heat of arousal and pleasure. How much had it cost her to hide that? Natasha didn’t cry easily, to say the least.

Hating that there was nothing he could do about it, Steve kissed her hard, putting all of the love and lust and affection he felt for all three of them into the embrace, willing her to feel how much of it was for her. She moaned and arched against him, shifting so she was in his lap properly with her legs spread to grind her core against him. 

Twisting, Steve laid her out on the bed next to Peggy and drove home inside her. She was so wet he couldn’t believe it, and her body welcomed his with fierce passion as she rocked into every thrust. When she dug her nails into his back he bit her lip, and she retaliated by dropping her hands to dig her fingers into the sensitive flesh of his ass instead. 

A slender hand worked its way between their bodies, and Steve thought at first it was Natasha’s - she did that sometimes, especially after she’d already come once, needing the extra stimulation. He didn’t mind, he loved watching her get off in whatever way it was accomplished. However this time when he looked he discovered it was Peggy reaching out, mischief written large in her beautiful brown eyes. 

Natasha gasped and squirmed at the extra stimulation, and turned her head to smile at Peggy. The other woman was on her side with Bucky wrapped around her from behind, one leg between hers as he thrust into her. The position made it easy for Peggy to reach Natasha, and for Natasha to return the favour a moment later.

Steve _had_ to close his eyes, as much as he didn’t want to miss a moment of the erotic sight; it was too arousing and he didn’t think he had a third round in him tonight. Not given how hard he’d come earlier, and could tell he was going to come now. Natasha had been known to utter death threats that he was quite certain were entirely serious if she thought he might leave her hanging. 

Thankfully the movement of her hips had already taken on that jerky quality that meant she was close, too. Peggy’s touch helped to push her to the edge faster than Steve would have managed on his own, and in moments Natasha was crying out as her body convulsed around him.

Gratefully Steve opened his eyes again, and all it took was one look at the nearly identical expressions of ecstasy on the faces of the two women to push him over the edge as well. He shouted as he emptied himself into her, and shuddered as Peggy’s fingers teasingly brushed the root of his dick as she pulled away from Natasha.

Bucky wasn’t far behind the rest of them, growling and clutching at Peggy as he came, sinking his teeth into her shoulder to help muffle his cry. She’d have a mark there, though Steve didn’t think Bucky had actually broken the skin. 

When Steve started to roll off Natasha with the intention of having the two girls sandwiched between him and Bucky, she shook her head and nudged him to go the other way. Confused but far from unwilling, Steve settled into place between the girls on his back so he’d be able to slide his other arm under Peggy’s shoulders and hold her close as well.

“Feeling better?” Natasha murmured, and Steve flushed with guilt as he realized he hadn’t even thought about the older Peggy’s death in quite some time.

Not that she would have wanted him to pine over her instead of cementing the bonds with his lovers, he knew that. She’d basically said as much with the promise she’d demanded of him. The pain of her loss had indeed eased from a fierce burn to a steady, quiet ache in his chest. It was the kind of hurt that was almost good, because feeling it nudged all of his best memories of her to the surface. 

“Yeah,” he breathed out, holding both Peggy and Natasha just that little bit closer. Bucky stretched out the arm he had around Peggy’s waist so his hand was resting over Peggy’s on Steve’s chest, once again letting him connect with all four of them. “Thank you,” he added, and he meant for more than just the comfort.

“It wasn’t exactly a hardship,” Peggy pointed out with a smile. “Though I don’t think I’d want to do this every night! We’d all be worn away to nothing from exhaustion in a month.”

“Not against a repeat, though,” Bucky put in, looking down at Steve and Natasha from over Peggy’s shoulder. He was smiling too, relaxed and content and _happy_ as he so rarely got to be. 

“Definitely worth repeating,” Natasha agreed, reaching out to run an appreciative hand along Peggy’s side. Then she pushed herself up to sit, drawing away from Steve’s arm around her. “That being said, there are far too many people in this bed for me to be able to get any sleep, so I’m going to head back to my quarters for the night.”

“Natasha...” Steve was worried she was withdrawing to brood over the pain that being with Bucky again had obviously caused her, but her smile was soft and there was no hint of anything more than sleepy affection in her eyes. At least, not until she glanced briefly towards Peggy and Bucky, and then he saw that same bright flash of hurt that he’d spotted when Bucky had called her ‘Natashulya’ again.

“You should be with Peggy tonight, you need that,” she told Steve, leaning over for a quick kiss before she slid off the bed entirely. “It was fun, and I’m glad we finally got to do it.”

“You _are_ welcome to stay, Natasha,” Peggy said, clearly sensing that something was off but not able to figure out what was wrong.

“I know,” Natasha assured her. “I might not need handcuffs, but I have issues about sleeping in contact with other people.” 

The comment about handcuffs made absolutely no sense to Steve, but it appeared to mean something to Peggy because she sighed and nodded. “Well, if you change your mind at any point, feel free to come back,” Peggy said. “Bucky usually leaves after a few hours as well, so there might be enough space for you to feel comfortable.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Natasha half-promised. Steve could tell from the look in her eyes that she had no intention of taking them up on it, even with the knowledge that Bucky wouldn’t be there anymore.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment, much as it tore at him to let Natasha leave knowing she was hurting. It wasn’t as if Steve could offer any kind of real solution, and she wouldn’t be willing to talk about it while the new wound was still so fresh. All he could do was corner Bucky about it later, and try to coax Natasha into discussing it when she was in a better mood.

Besides, Natasha was right that Steve really needed the comfort of having Peggy in his arms, right now. He wasn’t sure he could actually convince himself to let go, not with the pain of her older self’s death still so fresh in his heart. 

Nor did he want to leave Peggy alone, as would inevitably happen when Bucky withdrew; she would surely end up brooding over the distressing thought that another version of her had died tonight, and that in a few days Steve would undoubtedly be attending a funeral where her name would mark the gravestone.

For the first time he started to truly understand how difficult this unusual path they’d all chosen was going to be. Figuring out how to handle the different needs of two people was hard enough; it became much worse when he was forced to choose not only between Natasha’s needs and his own, but those of Peggy and Bucky too. There was no possible way to make certain everyone was always taken care of, and that thought sat badly with him.

Not so badly he was willing to change his mind about it all, though.


End file.
